Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Solanales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Solanum dulcamara
FAMILY
Solanaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Bittersweet Nightshade at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Wild Solanums are generally called nightshades, and are usually poisonous. Learn more from the University of Kentucky herbarium website.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Solanum dulcamara var. dulcamara
FAMILY
Solanaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Solanum dulcamara
SYNONYMOUS WITH Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Solanum dulcamara
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 165-05-001:
Solanum dulcamara FAMILY Solanaceae
COMMON NAME:
Bittersweet Nightshade, Deadly Nightshade, Climbing Nightshade
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_sodu_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0305t_23
May Haywood County NC
Many leaves with lobed basal portion or even a pair of leaflets, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
JK Marlow jkm0305u_02
May Haywood County NC
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JK Marlow jkm090926_012
September Hancock County ME
Bright red oval berries about 0.4" long are poisonous to humans, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm090926_014
September Hancock County ME
Shooting star-shaped flowers, flower lobes pointed backward, per Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977).
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JK Marlow jkm090926_018
September Hancock County ME
Each lobe with 2 green dots at the base, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm090926_019
September Hancock County ME
Drooping clusters of 7-14 flowers, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
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JK Marlow jkm090926_019b
September Hancock County ME
Calyx about 2mm long, lobes minute, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm090926_023
September Hancock County ME
)
JK Marlow jkm090926_025
September Hancock County ME
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Solanum dulcamara
FAMILY
Solanaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Solanum dulcamara var. dulcamara
FAMILY
Solanaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Solanum dulcamara
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Solanum dulcamara
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 165-05-001:
Solanum dulcamara
FAMILY
Solanaceae
1409
Woody vine
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Rare in NC
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Southeast
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems and leaves unarmed
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
Leaves have petioles.
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Purple
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
Synsepalous calyx, lobes minute
5-parted rotate corolla
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Red
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- New Invaders of the Southeast (Rawlins et al., 2018) p007
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p328
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p430
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p085
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p198
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p235
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p334
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p151